The sound of a baby crying is the last thing new parents (and anyone sitting next to them) want to hear.
But at a 400-year-old Japanese festival, that’s exactly the point.
The Nakizumo Cry Baby Festival is as strange as it sounds: it celebrates the belief that crying babies will bring young people good health and fortune in the future, as well as ward off evil spirits or demons.
For one day a year, crying babies compete against each other, held in the arms of sumo wrestlers. The winner is usually the first baby to cry in the “crying sumo” ring.
Dressed in their tiny sumo belts and aprons, more than 100 little ones will face each other in a ring where burly sumo wrestlers will hold them down and do everything possible to try to make them cry.
The Nakizumo Cry Baby Festival is as strange as its name sounds: it celebrates the belief that crying babies will bring young people good health and fortune in the future, as well as ward off evil spirits or demons.
For one day a year, crying babies compete against each other, held in the arms of sumo wrestlers. The winner is usually the first baby to cry in the ‘crying sumo’ ring.
Their parents head to various dohyo in Japan and the babies compete against each other, two by two.
The sumo wrestlers hold the babies and try to make them shed a tear by mocking them.
They gently try to get a reaction from the babies, using a variety of fun techniques including growling.
However, sometimes young people are unfazed or often even burst out laughing. If they don’t cry after a few seconds, the referee, dressed in a nice robe, intervenes.
The referee has to go a step further to try to scare the babies by wearing traditional scary masks or making faces and loud noises, making them cry.
The festival is held throughout Japan, and the rules vary from region to region, as in some regions, the baby who cries first is considered the loser; In others, it’s about which baby cries the loudest and which loses the quietest.
It may seem cruel to outsiders, but the ceremony is said to keep babies safe from evil forces and bring them luck.
A saying associated with the festival is “naku ko wa sodatsu”, which means “babies who cry will grow up quickly.”
Dressed in their tiny sumo belts and aprons, more than 100 little ones will face each other in a ring where burly sumo wrestlers hold them down and do everything they can to try to make them cry.
Sumo wrestlers gently try to get a reaction from babies, using a variety of playful techniques including grunting.
A saying associated with the festival is “naku ko wa sodatsu,” which means “babies who cry will grow up quickly.”
However, sometimes young people are unfazed or often even burst out laughing. If they don’t cry after a few seconds, the referee, dressed in a nice robe, intervenes.
The festival is held throughout Japan and the rules vary from region to region, as in some regions the baby who cries first is considered the loser; In others, it’s about which baby cries the loudest and the one who is calmest loses.
While the largest event is held at Asakusa’s Sensoji, it is also held at other locations in Japan.
It may seem cruel to outsiders, but the ceremony is said to keep babies safe from evil forces and bring them luck.
Japanese legend states that a baby’s loud crying will ward off evil spirits and ensure that the child grows up healthy and strong.
While the largest event is held at Asakusa’s Sensoji, it is also held at other locations in Japan.
The Asakusa event is so popular that a lottery system is used for parents to secure one of the 100 coveted spots.
Having the opportunity for your baby to compete is a privilege because tears promote good health.
Babies are held high so their cries are closer to heaven and during the 400-year competition, their parents pray for their children’s good health.
This year’s event will take place this weekend of April 28 and the venue will be packed with parents, babies, family members, Japanese spectators and tourists from all over the world coming to watch the event.
Admission to the popular festival is free and two rounds will be held, the first at 11:10 a.m. and the second at 2:20 p.m., behind the main Sensoji building.
